Method and apparatus for crimping filaments



July 5, 1960 H. FREIBERGER METHOD AND APPARATUS Foa CRIMPING FILAMENTS Filed June 29, 1959 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CRIMPING FILAMENTS Herman Freiberger,A Glen Rock, N J., assgnor to Elwood Research Company, a division of Audiger, Inc., lNew- The present invention deals with a method and apparatus for crimping synthetic filaments.

This application is a continuationin-part of copending application Serial No. 576,465 filed April 5, 1956, now abandoned.

While various methods and means have been employed for crimping cellulosic laments and filaments of nylon, vinyl resins, and in general synthetic polymerization or thermoplastic substances of fiber forming ability, such methods are characterized by various limitations. For example, twisting methods are limited in the number of filaments-which may be twisted together to form suitable crimps, .the toothed roll method in connection with the crimping of cellulosic substances have been limited in the number of crimps per unit length o f filament, chemical.

. It is an objectof the present invention .to provide a United 'Smeg pat-em e j sinuous stresses are imparted to the laments, it would,

novel method and apparatus for crimping artificial filaprovide a method and means for controlling the degree of crimp in artificial filaments. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and means whereby the crimping of thermoplastic filaments may be accomplished easily, selectively, and simultaneously in a large number of laments.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description hereinafter following and the drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a partly schematic and partly plan view of the apparatus according to this invention, and

Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of components of the apparatus. l

According to the invention it is contemplated to physically crimp or condition thermoplastic or lsynthetic filaments for crimping, e.g. oriented filaments such as tension conditioned nylon, or filaments of glass or fused quartz the filaments, such as cooling, relaxing and/ or heat treating, etc., cause the filaments to assume .a crimped condition. Y

Referring to Figurel, the oriented filaments 1, e.g. in the form of yarn, pass from a source 2, such as a spool or bobbin and, `preferably although not necessarily, through a heater 3 heated by heating means'4, e.g. elec'- trical resistance heating means, into a heating bathl 5 containing first feed rolls 6 and 7 and second feed rolls 8 and 9, said filaments passing through said first and second feed rolls and out of said bath S over a guide means 10 onto a winding roll 11. The filaments are preheated by said heater 3 and further maintained in heated condition by said heating bath 5.

The invention is primarily directed to the improvement of attaching to or otherwise contacting, directly or indi-v rectly, a suitable vibration means to at least one of said first and second feed rolls and preferably to both as as illustrated by Figure 2. The said vibration means are fs Y p 1C@ 2,943,377

illustrated as 12 and 13, e'.g. an electrically energized l vibrator, or an electrical transducer either inthe form of a piezoelectric member or a laminated plate, as known;

and whereby electrical energyf,supplied by sources 14 and Y1S 1s transformedinto vmechanical elastic vibratory energy and thereby imparting vibration components to the saidfeed rolls proper or by means of transmitting members 16 and 17 interposed between the rollsor roll sup ports andthe source of vibration. It is possible by means Aof electrically energized vibratory means to control ori regulate the amplitude and frequency Yof the vibrations so that the proper vibratory amplitude may be selected in accordance with the optimum vibration desired for-imparting sinuous stresses to the filaments passing through the feed rolls. Since the filaments pass through the feed rolls at substantially high rates of speed, it is possible to employ uniform vibration in the supersonic ranges at desirable amplitude to all the individual filaments simultaneously, whereby said filaments are in a vibrating condition or conditioned by the vibration so as to cause a state of substantially uniform sinuous stresses in the filaments.

It is apparent from Figure 2, that the vibration imparted to the feed rolls constitutes first vibratory components directedtransversely of the filaments passing through the first feed rolls 6 and 7 and second vibratory components directed lneally of the filaments passing through the second feed rolls 8 and 9.V While thetfilaments, in a substantially pliant condition due to the heating thereof,

are caused to'vibrate by said first feed rolls whereby normally be expected Vthat a subsequent tensioning of the vibrated filaments, such as by passage to a winding reel, would remove the effects of vibration. The invention, however, has provided a simple and yet effective means to maintain the sinuous stresses by vibrating the moving filaments with vibratory components directed linearly of the moving filaments. As a matter of fact, it has herewith been discovered that such linearly directed vibration effectively reduces or eliminates constant tension as a result of drawing or pulling any strip, filament, etc., where such tension isV undesirable. While the instant application includes a heater 3 and a heating bath 5, a single heating means, e.g. heater 3, may be employed without the other 4and the linearly directed vibration components may be directed to the filaments emerging from such heating means. It is also contemplated to employ the linearly dibe positioned in the bathwith the other outside the bath and with a chilling or cooling means 18 and 19 positioned forwardly of the feed rolls. In the case of glass and fused quartz fibers, the bath is' eliminated and the filaments may be maintained in a semi-plastic state by other heating means. The feed rolls may be reversed as to sequence since the combination of transversely directly and lneally directed vibratory components in reversed sequence are operable in forming and maintaining the aforementioned sinuous stresses.

Various modifications of the invention hereinabove set forth are contemplated within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of crimping filaments of thermoplastic substances comprising heating and passing said heated filaments through first and second feed members, vibratling one of said feed members transversely of said filaments, vibrating the otherfeed member lneally of ifatentedv July v5, 1960 3 said. -laments,` and cooling said filaments subsequent to the passage thereof through said first and second feed members.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said filaments are composed of a synthetic polymerizable sub stance. y

3. The `method according to claim 1, wherein said laments are composed of glass. Y y

4." The method according to claim 1, wherein saidl filaments are composed of fused quart-z.

5. Apparatus for crimping filaments of thermoplasticV substances comprising first and second filamentsup'portmembers spaced from each other, heatingmeans between said supports, first and secondV vibration producing means between said. supports, vibration transmitting., members operatively associated with said vibrationproducingv means, one of said transmitting' mem-bers positioned to vibrate said filaments transversely thereof, and the other transmitting member positioned to vibrate said filaments lineally thereof.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, comprising a cooling means positioned between one of said vibration transmitting members and said second support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

5. APPARATUS FOR CRIMPING FILAMENTS OF THERMOPLASTIC SUBSTANCES COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND FILAMENT SUPPORT MEMBERS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER, HEATING MEANS BETWEEN SAID SUPPORTS, FIRST AND SECOND VIBRATION PRODUCING MEANS BETWEEN SAID SUPPORTS, VIBRATION TRANSMITTING MEMBERS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID VIBRATION PRODUCING MEANS, ONE OF SAID TRANSMITTING MEMBERS POSITIONED TO VIBRATE SAID FILAMENTS TRANSVERSELY THEREOF, AND THE OTHER TRANSMITTING MEMBER POSITIONED TO VIBRATE SAID FILAMENTS LINEALLY THEREOF. 